Life of Love
by Rachel.Geller71
Summary: First one-shot. About Ross and Rachel's struggle to overcome the obstacles that seem to come flying at them. Very fluffy, too.


A Life of Lonely

It all began with a letter. A simple yet intricate hand written work of art that was truly one of a kind- only it had a double. The beholders of this particular letter were, by popular belief, to fall in love and be happy together for eternity. The catch? Neither knew who the other was, and often times they would never meet. But that wasn't how the story went when 6 year old Ross Geller heard it from his loving mother. He heard a tale of devotion, loyalty and woe. He heard the story of two hearts destined to be together who faced many heart-wrenching obstacles. Little did he know, he would soon play a role in his own similar story with the one that he would fall for- Rachel Green.

….

"I didn't get a cat," Ross shouted irritably. He had opened the unlocked door of Central Perk. Rachel had been the one to lock up that night and she swept the floor casually, startling when Ross barged in.

Finally calming down, she spoke. "Oh, that's um, interesting." Rachel could see a hint of urgency in Ross' eyes as they widened, anger filling his face of rage.

"No, no it's not interesting. okay, it's very, very not interesting. In fact it's actually 100 percent completely opposite of interesting ," he rambled. Rachel's eyes rolled as he began, annoyance filling her.

"Alright, I got it Ross," she interrupted, cutting him off. Sometime he just didn't know when to stop..

Ross' expression suddenly went from mad, to angry as he glared at Rachel. Her blue eyes stared at him, puzzled, as if she were trying to decode his strange actions.

"You had no right to tell me you _ever_ had feelings for me!" He yelled. Rachel's unsteady gaze shifted to floor as a pang of hurt coursed through her. Was she really that horrible for confessing her feelings to him?

"What?" Was all that the poor waitress could manage as tears threatened to spill over. She leaned her broom on the counter and looked at him, maintaining uneasy eye contact.

"I was doing great with Julie before I found out about you!" He continued. Fearfully, Rachel's eyes darted toward the door. It was still unlocked, and if things got too bad she could always run. But Ross wouldn't get that out of hand- would he? She had never seen him this way, and couldn't understand why he was expressing his emotions so profanely to her. Suddenly, she filled with anger too. _He _had no right to ever yell at her this way. No matter if she ruined a perfectly good relationship.

"Hey, I was doing great before I found out about you!" She retaliated. Eyebrows furrowed, Ross stood before her contemplating on a response. But Rachel spoke first. "You think it's easy for me to see you with Julie?"

"Then you should of said something before I met her," Ross began to calm down. Although they were now enemies, he hated to see her mad. It killed him inside.

"I didn't know then," she spat, "and how come you never said anything to me?"

"There was never a good time," he hastily answered. With a loud swallow, his brown eyes filled with regret, and not just from the fight. From breaking Rachel's heart, too. She was his first love. She didn't deserve to be treated this way.

"Right. You, you only had a year. And we only hung out every night!" She exclaimed, ridiculed. Her level of loudness had dropped down quite a bit since earlier, but her level of aggravation was peaked.

"Not, not, not _every night. _You know, and... and it's not like I didn't try, Rachel. But things got in the way, you know? Like, like Italian guys or ex-fiancés or, or, or Italian guys." "Hey, there was one Italian guy, okay. And do you even have a point?" Rachel was now thoroughly embarrassed. All that Paolo had given to her was a reason for Ross to hate her. There was no good out of that relationship.

"The point is I... I don't need this right now, okay? It, it's too late, I'm with somebody else, I'm happy. This ship, has sailed."

"Yeah? What are you saying, you just sort of put away feelings or whatever the hell it was you felt for me?" She asked. Brutality was her main offense, and blame was her defense. She had a very cruel team all together.

"Hey, I've been doing it since the ninth grade, I've gotten pretty damn good at it!" Ross justified. That probably wasn't the correct response, but it would work.

"Alright, fine. You go ahead and you do that, alright Ross?"

"Fine."

"Because I don't need your stupid ship!" She finished.

"Good." He shot back.

"Good."

As her words replayed themselves in his mind, Ross exited the coffee house that he had matured in. The cold air of Manhattan suddenly chilled him, and he crossed his arms in an effort to keep warm.

Rachel rushed to the door and flung it open. "And you know what? Now I've got closure!" The force of her words hit Ross unexpectedly, the impact damaging his always broken heart.

Although her clever comment would have normally filled her with pride, she stood next to the bar upset. Rachel crossed the room and sat on the orange couch, burying her face in her hands. About to let the tears flow freely, she was stopped by a sudden urge to look out of the window. As she did so, she saw none other than Ross.

The honey blonde ran toward the door yet again, only this time with a less evil motive. Fumbling with the locks, she turned the knob. It didn't open. Rachel stood struggling with the bronze handle, trying different combinations of twisting, turning and pulling.

"Try the bottom one," Ross' muffled voice sounded through the window. She glanced at him and then bent down to follow directions. A pop was heard and she was able to pull the door open.

No words were spoken as a comfortable silence settled over them. Ross, out of no where, took a step forward and swept her into his arms, drawing a passionate kiss.

….

The memory seemed so distant now as Ross reminisced about their picture perfect first kiss. His fiancé sat in the crook of his arm, her side ponytail brushing against her shoulder.

"Happy anniversary," he whispered with a gentle smile. Rachel grinned back and stood up, offering her hand. Ross stood up and gave her a questioning look. Arms flying to his neck, Rachel kissed him like no other woman could.

Since that fateful day in Central Perk, Rachel and Ross had a very strong relationship together. They brought out the best in each other and, even when they fought, always managed to get across that their love was unconditional. Especially since this morning, which was why she called over Monica, Chandler, Phoebe and Joey to meet them there.

As the group began to file in, Mon took a seat next to Rachel, Chandler next to her, and Joey sat in the green chair with Phoebe on the arm of it.

"Okay, guys, so now that you're all here, we have a surprise." Ross looked lovingly at Rachel as her soft eyes gazed at him.

"I'm pregnant," she squealed, overjoyed. Monica immediately wrapped her arms around her best friend, while Phoebe made her way over.

"I don't see why everyone's so excited. I had _three,_ you know?"

The girls shot Phoebe a look but they all continued to hug. The guys, on the other hand, shook hands and congratulated Ross on his new addition to the circle. After a lot of laughing, the three pulled together in a manly, yet very awkward, hug.

"That's great, Rach! Now I can have someone to take to the Knicks game!" Joey exclaimed. His excitement was dialed down by the looks of reason from the rest of the gang. "What?"

They were all able to ignore his comment and settled down, discussing every detail of the baby shower. No doubt that Monica had already named herself captain of the ship, and Phoebe fell in as her first mate. Rachel just stayed for the ride.

….

Exactly 34 days after their anniversary, Ross planned to take Rachel out on a romantic date. His idea was very original, having come from a recurring dream, and he hoped that his fiancé would love it.

Rachel stood in her closet, trying on different outfits. The mirror, a gift from her father, sat on the far corner of the wall where Rach had managed to clear out the huge lot of clothes and shoes.

After almost half an hour of experimenting, she finally decided on an elegant leather jacket with a formal black shirt under it. Rachel made her way to the living room, where Ross stood in a sharp blue suit with a classy tie.

"Uh- honey? I'm afraid I'm going to have to drop by work on the way and return a few papers. It won't set us back, any though. I'm really sorry," he apologized, insincerely.

Rachel sighed. The one night that they were to go out and have a romantic evening, and Ross had to work. She grunted her okay and the two strolled out, hand in hand.

….

As they arrived at the planetarium, Rachel stepped out with Ross. Two beeps could be heard as he locked the car and stepped onto the cobblestone stairs that led to the double doors.

"Again, Rach, I'm really sorry. I hope I didn't ruin our night."

"It's fine."

But, as the doors opened, it was much more than fine. Lilies dotted the carpet and gentle tea lights were placed around them, giving the place an intimate glow.

"Oh- oh my god, Ross. It's beautiful." She forced, choked up. This was the perfect place for a date. Only as she thought of that did she realize where they were, and she looked up. On the ceiling, 4 words were written out with stars. 'Will you marry me?'

Rachel couldn't speak. Too many emotions were running through her at high speed, and she did her best to turn around and look at Ross.

As she had been reading the message in the sky, he had gotten onto one knee and extended his arm. In the palm of his hand there lay a small velvet box. Tears streamed down Rachel's face as he opened it, revealing a beautiful engagement ring that sparkled in the dim lights.

"Rachel Green, I've loved you since the ninth grade, and only now did I realize just how important you are. I want to love you with all of my heart for the rest of my life, but only if you will allow me too and love me back. Will you marry me?"

The salty tears now made their way down both of their cheeks as Rachel tried to find the strength to speak again.

"O- of course I'll marry you, Ross," she whispered.

"I love you, Rach. So much."

"I love you too."

….

In their twisted tale of two friends embarking on a journey of romance, love and passion, they learned that sometimes things don't work out the way you thought they would. But they also learned that sometimes that was okay. They learned that, well, it just makes a better story to tell in the end.


End file.
